An intermittent diary of happenings as we live rewarding lives harvesting grapes and making wines at Murdoch James Estate in Martinborough, New Zealand.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Long time between posts!

Several of you asked what happened to our stuck ferment. Well we got it going again slowly by feeding the yeasts, but were not able to ferment as dry as the 2008. So a wine with a little more residual sugar this year. It is balanced with good acidity, so is going to be a pretty smart wine.

In the vineyard the vines are racing along. It is interesting to see the difference in growth at our Blue Rock vineyard compared to the vines in the village. Blue Rock is warmer, no frosts and different soils. As a consequence the vines are quite a lot more advanced. That is good as it gives us insurance against a cold snap during the year and growth slowing down a bit

Maria, who you all know manages our office, took a day of last week to play in her golf club championships and won it! Need a bigger cup though, for all that work!

About Me

We are a family owned vineyard in Martinborough, regarded by many as New Zealand's finest Pinot Noir region.
My wife Jill manages the business, I am responsible for sales and exports, and our son Carl makes the wines. We have a great vineyard and office team; Nicola - Carl's partner looks after marketing and sales, Lynn - office' Wonder Woman' looks after all our administration, while Cliff, Dan, Chris and Steve keep our vineyard looking the best in town!
It is a fun place to work, and the wines are pretty good too!